Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Tuesday poem #303 : Rebecca Rustin : Psych Ward Bingo



Over questioning blue eyes
Marilyn's hair's an orange tornado.

Like any product of an environment
I believe in nature versus nurture.

The craziest I ever acted 
was during my six weeks in psych.

My psych ward bingo card 
squares would say -- wait -- 

Maybe I should grid this 
in terms of good and neutral

Chaotic and evil crazy:
good crazy is letting a tiny

Mother into my bed to bring her
off with my finger and wake up

Together under the dark gaze
of that day's orderly.

Neutral crazy is spitting out 
my pills; their too-low dose

Of MDMA is evil crazy.
Chaotic crazy is running

Corner to corner barefoot
on polished vinyl floor.

Lawful crazy is my dad looking
in through bulletproof glass.

Marilyn has smoking privileges.
There's an ex-psychiatrist

Strapped 
to his bed.



Rebecca Rustin is a freelance copywriter and translator in Montreal, Quebec, with poems in Pioneertown, PRISM, Train and talking about strawberries all of the time.

the Tuesday poem is curated by rob mclennan

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